A Spitfire has crashed during an RAF memorial event at an airfield in Lincolnshire. It is understood the plane was taking part in a commemoration of the Battle of Britain at RAF Coningsby.
Police and other emergency services rushed to the airfield at 1.20pm on Saturday. Only the pilot is thought to have been involved in the incident.
Road closures are in place in the areas of Dogdyke Road and Sandy Bank, and motorists have been urged to avoid the area.
An RAF spokesperson said: “We are aware of an incident in the vicinity of RAF Coningsby involving an RAF aircraft.
“We are working with the emergency services and supporting those involved. An update will be provided in due course.”
The Supermarine Spitfire was used by the RAF during the second world war to defend Britain from Luftwaffe air attacks.
RAF Coningsby is home to two frontline combat-ready squadrons and is the training station for Typhoon pilots.
It also hosts the RAF Battle of Britain memorial flight, which is intended to maintain historic aircraft in airworthy condition to commemorate RAF members who lost their lives in service.
The scheme operates six Spitfires, two Hurricanes, a Lancaster, a C47 Dakota and two Chipmunks, primarily for training. The aircraft are flown by regular RAF crew and can be seen regularly in the sky from May to September.
after newsletter promotion
The airfield opened in 1941 and served as a Bomber Command station until the early 1960s.
Source: theguardian.com
